War Department
Gettysburg National Military Park Commission
Gettysburg, Pa. August 1, 1910
Sir: We have the honor to submit report from July 1, 1909, to June 30, 1910:
The engineers, guards, and other employees have been on duty, as hereinafter stated: The engineer and assistant every day either on the field or in the office; the guards on duty every day except in very stormy weather, and the artisans and laborers have been employed on an average of two hundred and seventy-one days, July, 1909-10. Their work is principally on the field and can not be done in stormy or winter weather. The artisans and laborers are employed upon a variety of work--constructing and repairing drains along piked avenues, rebuilding walls that were used as defenses by the troops of the armies, seeding and sodding banks and monument bases, repairing the avenues, cleaning groves of the park of dead wood, mowing the open grounds, avenue sides, monument and battery plots, keeping in complete order the United States land, included in the battlefield of July 1, 2, 3, 1863, and the east and south cavalry fields, the necessity for which is set forth in the act of Congress establishing the Gettysburg National Park.
CONTRACTS
Contracts are made for the following work that has been established in the park by the commission, viz, for piking avenues and roads, for manufacturing and erecting gun carriages and mounting with guns, for building bridges, culverts, catch basins, and pipe walls, and tablets; for furnishing and delivering corps, division, and brigade markers, and bronze tablets; the same for furnishing and erecting avenue fences and for furnishing material for post fencing; for furnishing and erecting towers, for tools and implements, lumber, paints, oils, fuel, seed, and screenings, and all necessary supplies for office and field required by the commission and workmen.
Contract No. 101, with M. & T. E. Farrell, to grade the Hanover road for a distance of 5,700 feet from Rock Creek Bridge, to pike the same and to build a double culvert on it under contract No. 102. This work was completed August 1, 1909, and the road was opened to travel.
Contract No. 103, with Charles Kappes, to move stable and store building at the Wentz House, now United States land, opposite the peach orchard. The buildings have been repaired and fences rebuilt, etc.
Contract No. 104, with John C. Pepple, to furnish and deliver 1,000 panels post fencing. The material has been delivered and erected, according to agreement with the commission.
Contract No. 105, with M. & T. E. Farrell, to grade and pike part of the Wheatfield road from Emmitsburg road at the peach orchard to Confederate avenue, 1,700 feet, and also to grade and pike an avenue along the south and east sides of the peach orchard 850 feet. This road and avenue were completed December 15, 1909.
Contract No. 106, for furnishing and delivering, f. o. b. Gettysburg, 59 granite markers for brigades, C. S. A., was awarded to the Van Amringe Granite Company, Boston, Mass., to be delivered on or before July 31, 1910. Twenty-four markers have been delivered at the close of this report.
Contract No. 107, made with M. & T. E. Farrell, for grading and piking parts of the following roads: Harrisburg road from Rock Creek, northeasterly 2,415 feet; Mummasburg road northwesterly 1,350 feet from Doubleday avenue; Taneytown road from south end of the piking southerly 3,257 feet, and an avenue along east slope of East Cemetery Hill 1,300 feet. Total, 8,322 feet.
January 10, 1910, bids were advertised for piking 5 roads, including the 4 mentioned above. The bids were opened February 10, 1910, and were, with the approval of the Secretary of War, rejected. One of the roads was eliminated from the number to be piked before advertising the second time, reducing the length to 8,322 feet, and new bids advertised for the 4 roads remaining, which were received and opened April 20, 1910, work to be completed October 1, 1910.
Contract No. 108, with John C. Pepple, of Orrtanna, Pa., on February 15, 1910, to furnish and deliver 1,000 panels of post fencing. Contract expires December 31, 1910. Five hundred panels have been delivered.
Contract No. 109, for furnishing and delivering, f. o. b. Gettysburg, 59 bronze tablets for C. S. A. brigade markers, was awarded to Albert Russell & Sons Company, delivery to be completed on or before December 1, 1910.
LAND
The Althoff tract, on the west side of the Emmitsburg road, opposite the peach orchard, containing 9.4 acres, has been purchased by the commission.
Two tracts belonging to Maggie A. Wible, on the south side of the Wheatfield road, between Peach Orchard avenue and Sickles avenue and separated by the line of the Gettysburg Electric Railroad, have been acquired. Total area of both tracts, 15.48 acres.
A strip of land belonging to George E. Stock, on the summit of Benner's Hill, north of Hanover road, containing 1.2 acres, has been purchased for the purpose of mounting six guns representing three batteries of Nelson's Battalion of Artillery, C. S. A. The fourth battery is mounted on the south side.
A tract of land belonging to Calvin Gilbert, situated along Oak Ridge, north of Western Maryland Railroad cut, west of Gettysburg, containing 13.75 acres, has been purchased.
Surveys have been made of two tracts of land belonging to the Springs and Hotel Company--one situated west of Reynolds avenue, between Reynolds Grove and Fairfield road, the other tract along the west side of Stone avenue from Reynolds Grove to the line of the Western Maryland Railroad, containing in both tracts together 39.62 acres.
Surveys have been made of two tracts of land formerly belonging to the Culp heirs, now Martin Winter. This land is situated on the battlefield on both sides of East Confederate avenue and contains a total of 135.26 acres. Negotiations concerning the purchase of the two tracts above mentioned are pending. The Culp land west of Confederate avenue has been purchased.
As the result of an interview by the commission with the Secretary of War November 16, 1909, the following rule was approved:
MONUMENTS, MARKERS, AND TABLETS
Whereas since the creation of the Gettysburg National Park Commission the location of monuments, markers, and tablets in the Gettysburg National Park has been uniformly restricted to the respective positions occupied by the commands and bodies of troops in line of battle, and the respective lines of battle have thus been clearly defined, and the space between them has been and still is unmarked by monument, marker, or tablet, the well-established and consistently followed plan of the commission above indicated is hereby approved and it is directed that hereafter no deviation from this plan be made.
Other positions occupied by the various commands and bodies of troops may be stated in the inscriptions on the monuments, markers, and tablets located on the lines of battle.
Hereafter monuments, markers, or tablets erected in honor of individuals shall be limited to officers and soldiers who for a conspicuous and exceptional act of heroism may be deemed by the Secretary of War entitled to special commemoration.
War Department, January 17, 1910.
Approved:
J. M. Dickinson,
Secretary of War.
The White House,
Approved: January 18, 1910
Wm. H. Taft.
Bronze tablets have been placed upon the 20 Union division markers that were erected by the commission, as stated in their last report. Fifty-nine granite brigade markers, C. S. A., have been contracted for to be delivered by July 31, 1910. Specifications for bronze tablets for the same were sent to bronze firms, bids received, and a contract made with Albert Russell & Sons Company.
The work upon the monument to the Pennsylvania soldiers being erected under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is progressing, and is so far advanced that it will be dedicated September 27, 1910.
The location for the Virginia state monument has been agreed upon by the Virginia commission. It is on the east side of West Confederate avenue and north of Spanglers Woods. The site was approved by the honorable Secretary of War.
The location of the Sedgwick equestrian statue has been agreed upon by the commission appointed to erect the statue. The position is in an open field east of Sedgwick avenue and about 600 feet north of Wheatfield road.
On August 27, 1909, the Second Delaware monument, originally in the wheat field, was moved to its proper position on the left flank of Brooke's brigade on Brooke avenue, the United States having purchased land there since the monument was located in the wheat field.
GUN CARRIAGES
Iron gun carriages mounted with guns have been placed on the artillery line, C. S. A., since last report. All have been set upon granite foundations and a pyramid of shells has been placed near each piece upon a granite foundation. Iron tablets have been placed at each battery describing the action and movements of the battery in the battle. These guns have been placed as follows:
Carrington's Battery, C. S. A. : Two 10-pounder Parrotts on the avenue through the Frommeyer field, east side of Harrisburg road.
Graham's Battery, C. S. A. : Two 20-pounder Parrotts, Benner's Hill, south side of Hanover road.
Milledge's Battery, C. S. A. : Two 3-inch rifles, Benner's Hill, north side of Hanover road.
Kirkpatrick's Battery, C. S. A. : Two Napoleons, Benner's Hill, north side of Hanover road.
Massie's Battery, C. S. A. : Two Napoleons, Benner's Hill, north of Hanover road.
The last four batteries mark the position of Nelson's Artillery Battalion, C. S. A., July 3, 1863.
Graham's Battery, U. S. A. : One 3-inch rifle, south cavalry field. This was an additional gun added to Graham's Battery.
Third New York Independent Battery, on Taneytown road, southwest corner National Cemetery; one 10-pounder Parrott added.
Two caissons have been placed in rear of Cushing's battery at the Angle.
FENCING
During the year 10,000 feet of post fencing have been erected. A contract for an additional 10,000 feet has been signed.
The steam roller purchased last year and the horse roller cast at Hanover and completed at Gettysburg last year have been put in successful operation and are doing good work on avenues.
In November, 1909, the commission decided to grade and surface with stone the avenue east of Taneytown road, opposite the east end of Wright avenue. This avenue was opened by the Battlefield Memorial Association, and along it the monuments of the regiments of Russell's brigade of the Sixth Corps were set up, viz, Sixth Maine, Forty-ninth and One hundred and nineteenth Pennsylvania, and Fifth Wisconsin Infantry Regiments.
The avenue is 40 feet wide, 950 feet long, and has been graded and piked by the commission's employees and a new post-and-rail fence erected; new gates and culverts have been put in, and it has been named "Howe avenue," for the commander of the Second Division, Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac.
ALASKA-YUKON-PACIFIC EXPOSITION
In the spring of 1909 an exhibit was prepared by the commission to be sent to the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition at Seattle, Wash. The exhibit consisted of maps framed, relief map, photographs, and other exhibits and records of (and) work of the commission. The exhibit was boxed and shipped March 10, 1909, and returned to Gettysburg in November, 1909.
WEST POINT CADETS
The graduating class from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N. Y., 83 in number, and 9 officers, arrived at Gettysburg May 3, 1910, for a two days' study of the battlefield, under command of Colonel Fiebeger, United States Army. The class was divided into four sections, each section being in charge of an instructor from the officers accompanying them, their investigations being directed to different parts of the battlefield, but covering in turn the whole field. They were a fine class of students and expressed themselves highly pleased with the visit.
It was arranged to establish a camp of instruction and maneuvers east of Gettysburg, as follows:
The camp site selected for the Regular Army and organized militia embraces about 320 acres lying east of Rock Creek. The tract is bounded on the north by the York pike and extends as far east as Hospital Hill. The southern boundary is about 1,400 yards from York pike and is approximately parallel thereto. The prospective maneuver area is as follows: Beginning at Gettysburg, thence along the Baltimore pike to Two Taverns, thence to Bonneauville, thence to Moritz schoolhouse, thence to Hunterstown, thence to Fairview school, thence to Gettysburg.
On Sunday, May 8, 1910, the governor of Connecticut and his staff came to Gettysburg and spent the day viewing the battlefield.
To July 1, 1910, at the close of this report, three troops of United States cavalry and three batteries of United States regular artillery had arrived in camp pending the arrival of whole command, part of which will be brigades of state militia from Maryland and Virginia, and the commanding general.
In June Mr. Walter George Smith, chairman of the commission to erect a statue to Rev. Father Corby, chaplain Eighty-eighth New York Infantry, on this battlefield, visited Gettysburg and with the commission selected a site for a statue. A rock on Hancock avenue, 40 feet north of the crossing of the Round Top Railroad, had been pointed out as the identical rock the chaplain stood upon when he gave absolution to the "Irish Brigade" before it went into the fight at the wheatfield. This rock was therefore chosen as the proper place upon which to erect the statue, and the selection was approved by the Secretary of War.
John P. Nicholson, Chairman
Charles A. Richardson,
L. L. Lomax,
Commissioners.
The Secretary of War.